1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to pennant supports of the type utilized for displaying various indicia such as, for example, pennants, flags or burgees (hereinafter collectively referred to as pennants), on an elongated support element in a fashion substantially eliminating any chance of the indicia becoming twisted or tangled about the support element.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many pennant supports are known in the prior art, and a great variety of such supports have been the subject matter of issued United States Letters Patent. A well-recognized problem with regard to pennant supports involves some means of displaying the pennant while, at the same time, preventing the pennant from becoming twisted around its support element. In attempts to solve this problem flag hoist devices generally referred to as anti-fouling assemblies have been developed. U.S. Pat. No. 1,855,824 (Chrichton) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,711,712 (Reed) are two examples of such assemblies. The Chrichton patent is a flag staff wherein the flag is connected to the staff through a rigid support member including bearings whereby the entire support may rotate about the staff. The patent to Reed especially recognizes the fact that pennants are not conveniently flown from halyards because of the "inevitable tangling of the flags in the halyards and around the staff." His solution to this problem comprises a continuously rotatable flag support to which the flag is attached and which prevents tangling by slipping the entire flag support over the distal end of the staff. While this is certainly an adequate solution when one wishes to fly a pennant from a fixed staff, the Reed construction really does not address the problem of a pennant's becoming tangled around a halyard.
Other exemplary supports are presented in U.S. Pat. No. 2,905,140 (Acklam) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,075,492 (Winfrey). The device of Acklam does permit the pennant to rotate about its support element, but installation of the support is accomplished by slipping the entire support means over a free end of the staff. This device would not be suitable for displaying a pennant on a continuous line such as, for example, a stay, shroud or halyard. While the device of Winfrey could be clipped onto a continuous line, because of the positive engagement between the support means and the support element, the pennant would probably become tangled therearound.
U.S. Pat. No. 632,580 (Macartney) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,976,382 (Schmit) both disclose means for flying a flag from a rigid staff. A similar disclosure with regard to displaying signs or for constructing various structural systems is present in U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,966 (DeLee). Finally, though not specifically concerned with displaying pennants, the prior art teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 3,395,577 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,412 (both to Keim) are worthy of note. Both of these patents teach means for attaching a wind direction indicator to a boat's shroud. However, because these patents are concerned with wind direction indicators, no means are disclosed for raising and lowering the indicia with respect to its support element.
Accordingly, it is clear that there is a great need in the art for a pennant support of the type particularly suitable for displaying pennants on continuous lines such as shrouds, stays and halyards found on ships and boats whereby the pennant may not only be raised and lowered, but also be supported in a fashion that will substantially eliminate any chance of its becoming tangled around the support element. While an acceptable pennant support must satisfy the two conditions just stated above, it would also be desirable if means were also included for raising and lowering the pennant with respect to the support element or the pennant support itself.